Slow Cook up some Indian

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno chili (or other hot chili), seeded and minced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 (16-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
10-ounces baby spinach
1 cup coconut milk

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion with one teaspoon of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and another teaspoon of salt, and sauté until just translucent around the edges.

2. Stir in the curry, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and chili and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in 1/4 cup of broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Pour this onion-potato mixture into the bowl of your slow cooker.

3. To the slow-cooker, add the rest of the broth, chickpeas, bell pepper, cauliflower, tomatoes with their juices, the pepper, and the final teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine. The liquid should come half-way up the sides of the bowl; add more broth as necessary. Cover and cook for 4 hours on HIGH.

4. Stir in the spinach and coconut milk. Cover with lid for 1 minute to allow the spinach to wilt. Taste and adjust salt and other seasonings as needed.

Serve over rice.

Black Fried Rice with Ginger Tofu

Fried Black Rice and Ginger Tofu and Spinach

from Whole Living

• 3/4 cup black rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 bunch spinach, large stems removed and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into six 1/2-inch-thick rectangles
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
• Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Bring rice and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside

2. Steam spinach, covered, in 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes; set aside. Saute garlic, ginger, and scallion whites in remaining oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tofu and Sriracha and cook until tofu is golden, about 6 minutes per side. Remove and set aside

3. Add rice to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until crisp, about 2 minutes. Serve with spinach and tofu. Garnish with scallion greens and serve with lime.

Indi-yum

Sweet Potato and Cashew Korma over Coconut Rice Cooking Light March 2005
Regular coconut milk gives the rice a rich, slightly sweet flavor; you could also use light coconut milk for more subtle coconut flavor. Butternut squash can be used in place of sweet potatoes. Garam masala is a spice blend that can be found in most well-stocked supermarkets. The extra liquid in the korma is quickly absorbed by the rice. Prepare and refrigerate the korma up to two days ahead, the rice up to one day ahead. Before serving, reheat both, separately, in the microwave.

Ingredients

Rice:
2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice

Korma:
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chopped peeled sweet potato
1 cup water
2/3 cup chopped plum tomato
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
1 (14-ounce) package reduced-fat water-packed firm tofu, drained and cut into (1/2-inch) cubes
3 tablespoons plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons finely chopped dry-roasted cashews

Preparation

To prepare rice, bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in rice, and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

To prepare korma, while rice cooks, heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add the onion; cook 7 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add ginger, coriander, garam masala, and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sweet potato, 1 cup water, tomato, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until sweet potato is tender. Stir in cilantro, chile paste, and tofu. Serve korma over rice, and top with yogurt and cashews.

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 1 cup rice, 1 cup korma, 1 1/2 teaspoons yogurt, and 1 teaspoon cashews)

Take-In

Instead of going to the dirty Chinese food on the corner--why not make your own take-out. It's healthier, makes delicious leftovers and works out your chopping skills.

Stir-Fried Portobellos with Ginger-Oyster Sauce
America's Test Kitchen (hence the detailed instructions)


This stir-fry cooks quickly, so have everything chopped and ready
before you begin cooking or use a sous-chef to chop while you coo.k. Serve with steamed white or brown rice.

Serves 3 to 4

Glaze
2 tablespoons soy sauce (use GF if needed)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce (GF)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons oyster sauce (leave out for GF)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Vegetables
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press
(about 2 teaspoons)
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
6–8 portobello mushrooms (each 4 to 6 inches), stems discarded, gills
removed (see below), and cut into 2-inch wedges (about 7 cups)
2 cups carrots (sliced), or other longer-cooking vegetable from the chart below
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup snow peas or other quick-cooking vegetable from the chart below
1 pound leafy greens from chart below
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

1. Whisk glaze ingredients in small bowl; whisk sauce ingredients in
separate small bowl. In third small bowl, mix garlic and ginger with 1
teaspoon vegetable oil. Set bowls aside.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over
medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, without
stirring, until browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn
mushrooms and reduce heat to medium; cook until second sides are
browned and mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to
medium-high; add glaze mixture and cook, stirring, until glaze is
thick and mushrooms are coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to
plate; rinse skillet clean and dry with paper towels.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high
heat until beginning to smoke. Add carrots and cook, stirring
occasionally, until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup
broth and cover skillet; cook until carrots are just tender, 2 to 3
minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds.
Transfer carrots to plate with mushrooms.

4. Heat remaining teaspoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over
medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Add snow peas and bok choy
stems or napa cabbage cores and cook, stirring occasionally, until
beginning to brown and soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add leafy greens and
cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 1 minute. Push
vegetables to sides of skillet to clear center; add garlic-ginger
mixture to clearing and cook, mashing mixture with spoon or spatula,
until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds, then stir mixture into greens.

5. Return all vegetables to skillet along with sauce. Toss to combine
and cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened and vegetables are
coated, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to serving platter, top with sesame
seeds, if using, and serve immediately.

Choosing and Preparing Vegetables for a Stir-Fry
Portobello mushrooms and eggplant are the mainstays in our stir-fries.
As for the other vegetables, use those called for in the recipe or
switch them with another vegetable from the same category below. We
recommend using one harder, longer-cooking vegetable paired with
quicker-cooking vegetable and a leafy green (either napa cabbage or
bok choy).

Longer-cooking vegetables (to yield 2 cups)

* 4 small carrots, peeled, sliced on bias 1/4 inch thick
* 1/2 pound broccoli, stalks discarded, florets cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
* 1/2 pound cauliflower, core removed, florets cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
* 1 pound medium asparagus, bottoms trimmed, cut on bias into 1
1/2-inch lengths
* 1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed, cut on bias into 1 1/2-inch lengths


Quicker-cooking vegetables (to yield 1 cup)

* 1 medium bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 3 ounces snow peas, strings and tough ends trimmed
* 3 medium ribs celery, ends trimmed, cut on bias 1/2 inch thick
* 1 small zucchini or summer squash, seeded, quartered lengthwise,
and cut on bias 1/4 inch thick


Leafy Greens (to yield 2 cups stems and 4 cups greens)

* 1 small bok choy or napa cabbage (about 1 pound), stems/cores
and greens separated, stems/cores cut into 1/4-inch strips, greens
into 3/4-inch-thick strips

Step-by-Step: Preparing Vegetables for Stir-Frying

Portobello Mushrooms: After removing the stem, gently scrape the
underside of the mushroom with a dinner spoon to remove the feathery
gills, which can impart a muddy taste to the stir-fry.
Zucchini: Halve zucchini lengthwise and gently scrape out the seeds
from each half with a small spoon. Cut in half lengthwise again, then
cut into 1/4-inch slices on a 45-degree bias.

Napa Cabbage: Separate leaves, removing the core of each leaf with a
wedge-shaped cut. Slice the leafy greens crosswise into 3/4-inch
strips. Cut the cores into 1/4-inch strips.

Make-your-own-takeout

Pad Thai

I promise that after you make this, you will never want to buy take out again! You can find tamarind paste at your ethic Asian market. It comes in many forms but the one I use looks like a brown brick.

(From the New York Times Magazine, Jan. 06)

8 oz. rice noodles
1 tbsp. tamarind paste
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
4 cups of broccoli florets
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
16 large peeled, deveined shrimp
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
1/3 cup chopped salted peanuts
3 tbsp cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges
sesame seeds
red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Either follow directions to prepare rice noodles on back of package-but cook al dente, or place noodles in bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for 1 hour. Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk together tamarind paste, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and 1/4 cup water; set aside. Lightly steam broccoli and carrot; set aside.

2. Drain noodles. Set wok over high heat for 1 minute, then add the oil and heat until almost smoking. Add the garlic and ginger, saute for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and saute until almost cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to plate.

3. Add the noodles and stir fry for 1 minute. Pour in three-quarters of tamarind sauce and toss to coat the noodles. Add more sauce if needed. Cook until noodles are al dente, then push them to one side of wok and scramble the eggs in the remaining space. Add shrimp, broccoli, carrot, scallions, bean sprouts and half of the peanuts. Toss to mix. Garnish plates with remaining peanuts, cilantro, lime wedges, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes.

Serves about 4.

First entry--Asian Chicken Salad

Last night was salad night at the French-Glick household and I decided to change it up from the usual chop salad. The ingredients came to me during the walk home from the gym--and the combination turned out to be delicious.

Asian Chicken Salad French's Way

Dressing (use more or less of these ingredients as desired-I didn't really measure it out--just tasted as I went along)

Dash lite soy sauce
2 dashes rice wine vinegar
1 dash Trader Joe's Chili Mango vinegar (optional)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
4 dashes olive oil
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp hot water

-Put PB in bottom of dish, add hot water, whisk to thin.
-Add soy, rice wine/mango vinegar to taste
-Whisk in olive oil

Salad

1 chicken breast, broiled (and marinated if desired) and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 red cabbage, thinly chopped
1 head green leaf lettuce (or other greens), chopped
1/2 tomato, chopped and seeds removed
1/2 cucumber, skins removed and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small can mandarin oranges
1 or 2 tbsps chopped nuts (I used almonds)
cilantro (optional)
Handful of Chinese noodles (you know, those really crunchy naughty ones)

Toss all ingredients including chicken in large bowl, add dressing.
Enjoy!